Quintessentially Home

If you had to describe the natural environment around your home in one picture, what would it be? What natural scene (wildlife, landscape, plant, etc.) is iconic of your home? This can either be something your home region is famous for (cactus in my home of southern Arizona), or something that's less known but still defines the natural environment around where you live (hummingbirds, say, in Arizona).
Send the world a postcard describing your home.

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Announced:

Thursday, 14th May, 2009 (GMT)

Submissions:

Thursday, 21st May, 2009 –
Wednesday, 27th May, 2009
(GMT)

Voting:

Thursday, 28th May, 2009 –
Wednesday, 3rd June, 2009
(GMT)

Processing rules:

No post-processing that fundamentally changes the character of the scene.

Anything that makes a picture better is welcome; anything that makes it different is not.

Note that most HDR falls into the latter category.

Capture date rules:

No restrictions.

Additional rules:

Include with your entry a description of the significance of the thing pictured, and tell where the photograph was shot. Why does this thing, above all else, remind you of your home?

The shot should be of the natural world. Manmade artifacts (buildings, etc.) should not intrude upon the scene. Animals or plants should be native to the area.

The historic Balad district of Jeddah .
The balconies had a lot more to contribute to the buildings than their beauty. Besides helping to block the sunshine, they were designed to catch the breeze which is then transformed into air currents moving throughout the house, providing good ventilation and comfort, a real necessity during the hottest part of the summer. Moreover, the wood was carved in such a way that it was easy to look outside while remaining hidden from public view.

Your complaint (along with the complaints of others regarding this entry) will be
reviewed by the challenge owner. Depending upon the nature and applicability of the
complaint, the entry may be disqualified. In extreme circumstances the user who submitted
the entry may receive a ban from the challenge or series in question.